Repercussions of a Wish
by exocara
Summary: <html><head></head>"If you could choose between a world where people would love you at first sight, and continue to fall in love with you even more as they get to know you; or a world where it is totally and utterly acceptable for you, and only you, to punch anyone in the face, anytime, anywhere, which would you choose?" University AU (?), All27, drabble and one-shot series. Tsuna-centric</html>
1. Backgrounds and Prologues

**Warning: **This is going to be a bunch of drabbles/one-shots that are interconnected. Probably in a chronological order unless stated otherwise. This is not serious, and mindless self-indulgence on my part. **Read the author's note at the bottom please.** **  
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><p><strong>The Choice He Made<br>**

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><p>It didn't start out as a wish. Really. If one were to ask Sawada Tsunayoshi, he would adamantly insist that it had started out as a simple question asked out of honest curiosity. If he had known that it would come true, he never would've said anything.<p>

It happened when he was seven. Due to the bullies that chased after him almost every day, Tsuna often found himself hiding in many obscure places. One of the places he preferred to hide in would be Kawahira's Antiques. Kawahira's Antiques was an antique shop conveniently situated close to the school compound, but out of the way enough that people would rarely ever think to look there. The owner of the store, Kawahira, was a nice man who was fond of young Tsuna and often helped him with his homework whenever the latter was hiding.

One day, while they were going through English, Kawahira suddenly asked Tsuna a question.

_"If you could choose between a world where people would love you at first sight, and continue to fall in love with you even more as they get to know you; or a world where it is totally and utterly acceptable for you, and only you, to punch anyone in the face, anytime, anywhere, which would you choose?"_

Understandably, it was a hard decision to make. However, for the Tsuna who was young and naive and _dame_ and wanted so desperately to fit in, there was only one answer.

_"I would choose-"_

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><p><strong>Growing<strong> **Up**

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><p>The years passed and Kawahira's question faded from his mind. Tsuna continued to be small and bullied and hopeless.<p>

However, through all the name calling and the people stamping down on his soul, something within him changed; or you could say evolved.

And he grew up.

Well, people do say that those who have been pressed down and shattered by others, but still manage to rebuild themselves and continue on, stronger than ever, are the scariest type of people.

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><p><strong>Higher Education<strong>

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><p>Well, Tsuna never really got to be the giant robot he had wanted to be when he was younger, but he did find a new dream. Or rather, a goal in life he could work towards.<p>

Sawada Nana's cooking was really on another level. If one were to rate her cooking on a scale from one to ten, it would be over nine thousand. Many have tried to discover her secret, but none have succeeded. Only her son, Tsuna, knew her secret.

_"Tsu-kun! The most important thing you need when making anything is your emotions. Pour your feelings into whatever you do! Just like how I pour my love into the food I cook, because I love my Tsu-kun soooo much!"_

When he was eleven, he realised that not everyone was as fortunate as him to have been able to taste such heavenly cooking. Cooking that brought happiness to whoever who ate it, and filled them with affection.

When he was eleven, Tsuna realised that he wanted everyone to experience Sawada Nana's delicious, home-cooked food. Food that was filled with love.

Tsuna was clumsy, and didn't have book smarts, and was no good, but he had a goal that motivated him. A goal that he would achieve with his dying will.

At eighteen years old, Sawada Tsunayoshi was accepted into the prestigious, international Trinisette university, and took up a course in baking and culinary science.

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><p><strong>Author's Note<strong>

Please please read this. thanks friend. i'll try to make this fast.

This is self-indulgent. I will write even if you don't want me to. This is also stress relief because I'm facing writer's block in my other two khr stories and I really need a place to get all the irritating plot bunny things out. _Incredibly_ sporadic update timing.

Kinda crack, maybe. It's not serious. It'll go wherever it wants to go. A bit like my Harry Potter story. (one-sided?) **All27.** All. AU as well. Will include: Shimon, Millefore, Arcobaleno, Primo generation, Varia, maybe more. Also I really cannot bash any characters to save my life so there will be no fully bad people (aka daemon will be as nice as daemon can be. elena's alive because i love her too much)

Kawahira's probably not human. Tsuna's still Tsuna. Main difference: he has drive in his life and he knows what he wants. He has resolve.

Thanks for whoever made it this far. (i am trash, i know.)


	2. Setting the Stage

**Resolve**

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><p>Tsuna set down his bags and looked around at his dorm room. It seemed that he would be having this place all to himself. While he didn't expect this, he wasn't very surprised. Trinisette university was catered towards the needs of the rich, after all. A large part of the student population was made up of heirs or people with the right connections, after all. Tsuna was one of the few lucky people that managed to get in on a scholarship.<p>

Actually no, it wasn't luck. It was hard work and Tsuna shouldn't downplay himself like that.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

_Confidence._

He needed it if he wanted to achieve his dream.

Tsuna's eyes snapped open and flashed orange for a fraction of a second.

Of course, no one was there to see it.

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><p><strong>Pick Up Lines | 6927<br>**

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><p>If there was one downside in studying in an international university, it would be the spoken language. Since English was one of the most influencial languages in the world, it was used in the university.<p>

It was too bad that Tsuna was rubbish at it. He _was_ trying his best, though, so that had to count for something. Also, the tutoring sessions with Kawahira were rather helpful to him. It was almost as if Kawahira had known he would be coming to Trinisette university, and was preparing him for it. Of course, that was probably impossible.

Well, as it was, while he had a rough understanding of the English language, he still had absolutely no knowledge about the other languages. This was rather inconvenient, seeing as he was studying in an international school, and not all students would be willing to speak English outside of class. Tsuna couldn't blame them.

"_Scusami, mi ero perso nei tuoi occhi._" A young man, probably older than Tsuna, was smiling down at him. Although the smile seemed harmless, there was something about the man that seemed a little... off.

It was probably the hair, though. Who in their right mind would have hair that looked like a pineapple?

"S-sorry, I do not speak. Do not understand your speech. You know Japan language?" Tsuna replied in English, trying his best to choose the right words to use. The boy tilted his head to the side, seemingly unable to understand Tsuna's words. His hetero-chromatic eyes flashed with amusement.

"_Posso offrirti da bere?_" the young man continued speaking, totally disregarding what Tsuna had said. Tsuna wrinkled his nose in slight frustration. What language was the guy speaking, anyway?

Two hands cupped his cheeks and smoothed out the wrinkles on Tsuna's face. The poor brunette's brain short-circuited immediately. "_Nel cielo manca un angelo?_" The young man leaned in a little. "_Perché-_"

"Mukuro!" a voice suddenly called out, startling Tsuna's brain out of it's little blue-screen-of-death moment. Upon regaining his senses, Tsuna easily brushed off the young man's hands and took a step back. The young man clucked his tongue in annoyance and turned back to answer his friend. In perfect, unaccented English. Tsuna blanked out again. There was a strange feeling building up in him, a feeling that he hadn't felt in a long time.

The young man - Mukuro? - turned back to him with a smile. "It's a pity we had to cut our conversation short. I hope we can meet again, _coniglietto_." And with that, he was gone. In the back of his mind, he found it rather unfair that the young man knew how to speak perfect Japanese as well. The feeling within him grew and he could feel his cheeks heating up.

_Ah. He finally got it. That feeling... _

_...was anger._

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><p><strong>translations<strong>

_Scusami, mi ero perso nei tuoi occhi._ - Sorry, I was lost in your eyes.

__Posso offrirti da bere?_ - _May I buy you a drink?_  
><em>

__Nel cielo manca un angelo?_ - _Is heaven missing an angel?_  
><em>

__Perché_ - _Because

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><p><strong>Dreams and Premonitions<br>**

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><p><em>"Oh? Well, while that wasn't a very surprising choice, I would like to hear the reasoning behind it, Tsunayoshi-kun." Kawahira smiled gently at the young boy sitting on the other side of the table. Tsuna shrugged. <em>

_"You said that I _had_ to choose one. I don't like hurting other people, so I definitely can't choose to punch people. Not to mention, punching people is mean! I don't like it when people punch me..." Tsuna trailed off, rubbing at a bruise on his cheek. "So, I can only choose the first option, right? As long as they are loving me for who I am, and not because of a spell or anything, I don't see why that's so bad! Mamma says that being in love makes people happy, so if I can make them happy..." He trailed off again and shrugged, going back to stare at his English homework hopelessly. Kawahira stared at the boy's small form for a moment, at a lost for words. And then, he started laughing. _

_"Well, this is certainly a strange turn of events. I have to admit, I wasn't quite expecting that answer, Tsunayoshi-kun. Very well then, I shall grant your wish." _

_Tsuna stared at Kawahira, a confused expression plastered on his face. "Wish? What wish?" _

_Kawahira didn't answer him. _

Tsuna's eyes snapped open, and he flinched at the light from the sun that decided to sear itself onto his cornea. He had dreamt a really strange dream last night, or rather, he had recalled a strange memory. It had been a while since he had last talked to Kawahira, seeing that the strange man had moved away when he was eight. Why would he suddenly dream about him now, of all times? And why that particular conversation?

Tsuna thought about it for a while before deciding to shove it to the back of his mind. It probably wasn't important anyway.

Right?

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><p><strong>Author's note<strong>

the reason why i wrote in italian instead of english is because whatever mukuro said wasn't very relevant in the situation. it doesn't make much of a difference if you know it or not.

the italian is from my own meager knowledge. Please tell me if I have made any mistakes.

i wonder who i will write about next


	3. Oh God Why

**Raining Men | G27  
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><p>Trinisette university, Tsuna soon found out, was a fairly dangerous place.<p>

Case in point: This morning, when he was walking past the School of Business, he suddenly got an inexplicable urge to stop in his tracks to smell the flowers. It turned out to be the right thing to do because there was a blur of black and gold, and a person literally slammed into the ground before him. If he hadn't paused for a moment, that person would have fell onto him. Painfully.

He crouched down beside the body and pushed it over, so he could see the person's face. And paused.

_Why does this person look similar to me?_

Well, the guy had blonde hair, more mature features, and was overall a _lot_ taller, but the features were undeniably familiar.

Just as he was about to shake the person to wake him up, another person fell out of the air and landed in front of Tsuna, on the other side of the body. Tsuna stared at impeccably polished black leather shoes for all of two seconds before slowly dragging his eyes up the person's body. A terrifying man with platinum blonde hair and cold blue eyes stared down at him and the body with disdain, his black trench coat billowing ominously in the nonexistent wind.

_Oh god why.  
><em>

Tsuna forced out a shy, hesitant smile and the man's eyes widened slightly. Without warning, he turned a hundred and eighty degrees and walked off, black trench coat still billowing. Tsuna licked his finger and held it up. Nope, still no wind.

Tsuna's eyes flickered back to the person on the ground. What did the emergency manual thing say he should do again? Check for breathing? Yeah, that sounded right. Tsuna nodded to himself and leaned in close to the person's face, when suddenly, orange eyes snapped open. The two of them stared at each other and a bout of awkward silence filled the area. The person on lying on the ground was the first to move, lifting up his arm to cup Tsuna's face.

"_Am I in heaven?_" he muttered in a foreign language. Tsuna couldn't comprehend it and unconsciously tilted his head to the side in confusion, unaware that it seemed that he was leaning into the other person's touch.

And then the other person leaned up and kissed Tsuna right on the mouth.

_"Hiiiiiiieeeeeeeeeeee!"_

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><p><strong>Part-time Job | R27<br>**

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><p>Tsuna worked part-time in a small cafe on campus for several reasons. One of which was to gain experience, and boy, did he gain experience.<p>

He had learnt that people demanded fast but quality coffee, and were often unwilling to wait for more than thirty seconds for their coffee, even if their order was ridiculously if they came during the morning shift. Thankfully, they had more than two coffee machines in the store. Unfortunately, if the customer requested it, they still had to grind the coffee beans themselves.

While working, Tsuna couldn't help but notice this particular customer that always seemed to show up and hour after his shifts started. And he always ordered the same thing: double long shot espresso, no sugar, using a french press. He would know, too, seeing that he would sit near the counter and stare at Tsuna with an unnerving intensity as he made the drink. The first time Tsuna met him, he almost cried, thinking that the tall man with the black fedora was picking on him. His coworker was quick to reassure him that it wasn't the case, and that the customer was just very particular about his coffee being made right ever since the day a new, inexperienced barista had tried to cheat and used the machine to make his coffee.

He was never seen again.

Obviously, Tsuna didn't feel very much reassured after that tale, and made sure to put in extra effort into making the man's coffee. He didn't think too much on the fact that the man basically came in an hour after his shifts started like clockwork. Not until the day Tsuna decided to take the day off work due to overwhelming homework which he could not understand because they were in _freakin' mix of English and Italian_!

Why he decided to take the elective European culinary practicum, he would never know. He already had trouble with English, much less other languages.

But back to the point. There he was, sitting at his desk, staring at his notes whilst hoping information would seep in through osmosis, when the door suddenly swung open with a loud _bang_. Tsuna let out his trademark shriek and jolted out of his chair.

"You weren't at the cafe," a low male voice said. Tsuna slowly stood up, rubbing his head as he stared at the intruder with a mix of shock, horror, and annoyance. The man seemed to take Tsuna's dumbfounded silence as confusion, so he elaborated. "You always clock in at nine in the morning on Thursdays. You didn't do so this morning, though."

"Did you barge into my room just to ask why I didn't go to work?" Tsuna asked incredulously once he had found his voice again. The man tilted his fedora downwards, casting a darker shadow over his eyes. Tsuna took that as a yes. "Oh god. I am _not_ the only barista in the entire cafe, sir. You can ask another barista to make your coffee!"

"I did," the man said dully. "It didn't match up to yours." He started walking towards Tsuna with long strides. Tsuna shuffled backwards until his back hit the wall. The man stopped in front of him, so close that he could feel him exhale on his face. "It seems that I can only be satisfied by your coffee now, Sawada Tsunayoshi. Please take responsibility." Black eyes stared intently into brown ones, and Tsuna couldn't help but feel that the man was talking about something else entirely.

A few minutes passed and Tsuna looked away, pushing at the man's chest. "Alright, I'll go make coffee for you, but only for today." He walked towards the pantry and looked through the shelves. "I've only got pour-over coffee though." Silence. Tsuna assumed that the stranger would be alright with that. As he took out the coffee beans and started to grind them, he wondered why he was being so accommodating to the intruder in his dorm room. It was probably because he still had that unconscious fear of him lingering at the back of his mind. Hopefully, after this, Tsuna would never have to see the guy outside of work hours ever again.

A minute passed and the silence was so thick he could almost feel it on his skin.

"How do you know my name?" he asked, breaking the silence.

"I am a very well-informed individual." Tsuna frowned in annoyance. He didn't answer the question.

"What's your name?"

"Reborn."

_Okay, that _can't_ be a real name._

Tsuna sighed and decided to shut up. The man - Reborn - didn't seem to want to make conversation, anyway.

Finally, the coffee was done and Tsuna served it to Reborn before going back to his notes, resolutely ignoring the uninvited guest in his house.

"I see that you're having trouble with Italian." Reborn suddenly spoke, making him jump once again. Tsuna whirled around, staring at Reborn with wide, startled eyes.

"Y-you. How did you know?"

Reborn didn't answer, merely taking a sip from his coffee. "I can teach you, you know."

"What?"

"'I can teach you Italian and many other languages," Reborn offered. Tsuna stared at him suspiciously.

"What's in it for you?" he asked, narrowing his eyes. Reborn smirked and tilted his head towards the pot of coffee Tsuna had made.

"Free flow of coffee whenever I come over, of course."

Tsuna bit his bottom lip in thought, not noticing that Reborn's onyx eyes flickering to it and darkening. The arrangement didn't seem so bad, actually. Having to put up with the guy in exchange for being one step closer to his dream... Well, the choice was obvious.

"Sure, I don't see why not."

At Reborn's dark almost-grin, Tsuna couldn't help but wonder if he had made the right decision.

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><p><strong>Author's note<strong>

I did not expect people to actually follow this. Well. I'm at a lost for words. Thank you.

coffee knowledge from some blog posts and from working in a cafe a little. i dont have a lot of knowledge though, so if you see anything weird please tell me.

(makes strange choking noise) is reborn's name seriously reborn. seriously.

**Reviews**

_hikaru_ - he wouldn't know what to do with the world. probably give it to his mum or something. (tbh he wouldn't know what he would do with his harem either)


	4. First Friend (?)

**Proposal | 0027  
><strong>

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><p>It had been a while since Tsuna last witnessed bullying. Of course, all of the bullying he had witnessed was his own, but he didn't really want to go deep into details. Still, he was under the impression that people his age would have at least long outgrown physical bullying.<p>

Which was why he was equal parts shocked and disgusted when he walked in on a scene of a bunch of idiots kicking a downed male with scarlet hair. It hit a little too close to home, and brought back memories of pain and hurt and fear. Memories that he would rather forget.

In a bout of anger, Tsuna decided to do something incredibly reckless. Loosening his grip on his bag, Tsuna threw it at the bullies with all his force. While he wasn't very strong, the bag had three thick textbooks' worth of weight in it, and easily knocked out one of the idiots in one hit.

"Get away from him!" Tsuna yelled, "Or I'll... I'll... I'll bite you!" Alright, so that was a rubbish threat, but he really couldn't think of anything else, though. Somehow, upon hearing the threat, the bullies paled dramatically and sprinted off. Huh. That was funny.

A groan brought Tsuna's attention back to the person lying on the ground. Well, he couldn't just leave him there, could he?

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><p>When Enma drifted back into consciousness, he identified himself to be in one of the dorm rooms. A dorm room that wasn't his own. He tensed up. Where was he? Who brought him here? What did they want? He tried to sit up and realised that his wounds had been patched up. Not very well, but someone actually took the time and effort to bandage him.<p>

"Hello. Do you speak Japanese?" Enma blinked and turned to his side to see a petite brunette with large, innocent eyes smiling at him. Oh no. He's cute.

_Conceal. Don't feel._

Enma nodded at the brunette's question and was treated to the sight of him breaking into a big, beautiful smile. "Ah, that's great!" he had switched to Japanese, "I was going to die if I had to speak any more English. I'm really rubbish at that language." He let out a sheepish laugh. "Oh, by the way, my name's Sawada Tsunayoshi. What's yours?"

"Enma Kozato. I mean, Kozato Enma," he stuttered out. Tsuna tilted his head to the side, still smiling slightly.

"Kozato-san, would you like to stay for dinner? I made too much for one person to eat and, besides, it's already seven." For some reason, Enma felt like he couldn't say no. It could be due to the pleading smile on his face, or it could be due to the strange glint in his eye. Either way, Enma stayed for dinner.

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><p>"So, Kozato-san, how's the food?" Alright, Enma was genuinely apprehensive of the look in Tsuna's eyes whenever he talked about the food he cooked. There was a strange, almost maniac gleam, and, sometimes, might even flash orange. Of course, it must have been a figment of Enma's imagination, but still.<p>

"Um. Well. I think the food's really good," Enma told him. It was true; the food Tsuna cooked really couldn't be compared to anything he had ever eaten before, not even in those expensive restaurants his older cousin dragged him to. Of course, the quality wasn't very magnificent, but there was something _there_ that the other dishes were lacking. "It's been a while since I've had home-cooked food."

"Hm? Why is that so?" Tsuna asked, doing that adorable little head tilt again. Enma tried to ignore it.

"Ah, my parents died a long time ago, so I moved in with my cousin. Both he and I can't cook, so yeah..."

Tsuna looked absolutely insulted.

"Well, if that's the case, I'll cook for you every day if I can!" Tsuna's eyes shone orange for a moment before he blinked and shrunk into himself, blushing a little. "I mean. If you're okay with it. I like cooking for other people," he continued, trying to justify himself. Enma was blushing as well as he stared down at his hands. If he wasn't wrong, wasn't this a sort of marriage proposal? He knew that it had something to do with cooking for the other person every day...

Well, Tsuna probably didn't mean it in that way but, as Enma stole a glance at Tsuna, he couldn't help but think that he wouldn't mind having Tsuna as his wife.

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><p><strong>Height<strong>

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><p>"Kozato-kun, how do you eat so much junk food yet grow to be that tall?"<p>

"What do you mean, Sawada-kun? We're the same height, if I'm not mistaken."

Tsuna brought out a cap and put it on his head. Enma stared, dumbfounded and speechless.

"You probably don't know this but my hair contributes to around ten centimetres of my height." He took the hat back off and the world was right again.

Enma was still at a lost for words.

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><p><strong>Father<strong>

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><p>When Tsuna first got the news that he had gotten into Trinisette university, his mother was ecstatic. She hurried went to call his father to tell him about the good news. If you asked Tsuna, she was really just wasting her time. And sure enough, Nana wasn't able to contact Iemitsu. Tsuna was neither surprised nor disappointed, taking in the news with a totally emotionless, uncaring face.<p>

A week later, when Iemitsu called to congratulate him, Tsuna didn't yell or shout. He merely took his father's words with polite thanks, but otherwise didn't say anything else as his father babbled a million words per minutes about his darling little son growing up and Iemitsu not being there to see it.

Tsuna didn't feel any bitterness about his words.

Perhaps Iemitsu had sensed something wrong because he paused in his word vomit, before hesitantly asking if Tsuna hated him for not being there with him. Tsuna was quiet for a moment as he pondered over his father's question, and finally came to an answer.

"I've never hated you."

At this, Iemitsu sighed in relief and continued talking. What Tsuna said was the truth, after all. Iemitsu could tell as much.

What he didn't know was that Tsuna had long stopped loving him. He didn't have any expectations, nor did he have any faith in his father. And that, in itself, is scarier than hate.

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><p><strong>Author's note<strong>

take it just take it

there is an EXTREME lack of 0027 in the entire web. does anyone know any non sad ones?

The Japanese proposal is supposed to be the man asking "will you make miso soup for me every day?" It's probably not very widely used in today's context but eh.

ten centimetres is around 3.94 inches yo.

**Reviews**

_Harmonic Bunny_ - I think it's addicting because Tsuna's cute and deserves all the love in the world. And yeah, the R27 and G27 parts are separate. Giotto wasn't in his HDW form. Someone told me he has light orange eyes out of HDW form so I'm just rolling with it. (insert smiley face here) The wiki says that too.

_hikaru_ - i think i might have hibari in the next chapter but i'm not so sure. what i'm sure is that i want their first official meeting to include tsuna smacking hibari on the head with a slipper.


	5. Dino, Tsuna, and Coffee

**By the Evening Skies | D27**

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><p>If you asked Tsuna, it was coincidence.<p>

If you asked Dino, it was fate.

If you asked Tsuna's manager, it was hilarious.

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><p>It happened on a Friday afternoon. Business was slow and, hence, Tsuna's coworker decided to go for a <em>very<em> long toilet break, leaving Tsuna to man the counter on his own.

Dino came into the cafe, a whirlwind of mess, loose papers and scattering stationery, causing Tsuna to despair at the state of the floor he had recently swept. At the side Tsuna manager gave him a calculating look before smirking and pushing him towards the blonde on the floor. With a sigh of irritation, Tsuna did as his manager "suggested" and went around the counter to kneel down and help Dino pick up his things.

Their hands brushed and both of them looked up. Illuminated by the beautiful red of the setting sun, Tsuna gave Dino an awkward (breathtaking) smile.

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><p>Dino was in love.<p>

Tsuna didn't notice; or rather, he didn't care enough to notice.

Tsuna's manager was just happy that there was another regular paying customer at the cafe.

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><p><strong>Part-time Job 2 | D27<br>**

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><p>"Fluffy human," Tsuna's manager called out upon entering the employee room, startling him out of his daydreaming. He scrambled to stand up from his seat.<p>

"Manager! Is there a problem?" he asked. The manager shrugged and gestured to the door.

"One of your suitors are here. Pretty sure he won't accept coffee from anyone else. Go out and tend to him; I'll extend your break for another fifteen minutes." Tsuna nodded at their words, although he didn't really understand the meaning of 'suitors', and scurried out. He never really felt comfortable being alone with them.

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><p>When he came out, his coworker was already brewing the coffee for an extremely dejected blonde man. Tsuna's eye twitched, but somehow he managed to refrain from screaming at his manager. Just as he was about to leave, the blonde caught sight of Tsuna and immediately, his face brightened. Tsuna winced. Well, there was no going back now. Plastering his 'customer smile' on his face, he walked towards the counter.<p>

"Hello!" the blonde greeted him brightly.

"Hello... Dino?" Tsuna vaguely remembered catching sight of his name when he was helping him pick up his notes the other day. Upon hearing his name, Dino's smile became infinitely brighter, and Tsuna fought the urge to shield his eyes. One thing's for sure: his manager was right. Customers _do_ liked haing their names remembered.

"Ah! You remembered my name. Um. What's yours?" Dino asked. Tsuna pointed at his name tag and Dino blushed. "O-oh. Of course. Tsuna..." He repeated the name again under his breath. Tsuna was a little weirded out and desperately wracked his mind to see if he could find any other topic to talk about. His mind drifted to the night before, when one of his neighbours had invited his friends over to watch the Formula One Grand Prix live. Unfortunately, it was around two in the morning and, hence, no one on that level got much sleep.

"Do you watch F1?" Tsuna asked. Dino blinked, and looked at the ground.

"Um, no. But I like driving!" he exclaimed, almost over-enthusiastically. Tsuna looked away.

_Okay... I don't really see what that has to do with me...  
><em>

"Right. I don't watch F1 too. I don't like it," he replied flatly.

"Oh, so what _do_ you like?" Dino asked. Tsuna tilted his head to the side and thought for a while.

"I like... reading..." he finally answered. He omitted the 'manga' part out of it. Dino grinned.

"I like reading too! What books do you like to read?" He took a step closer. Tsuna ran through the manga he had read in his mind, trying to mind one that was fairly popular internationally. He couldn't find any. Thankfully, his coworker stepped in just in time to hand Dino his drink. Dino accepted it and fidgeted for a while.

"I... have to go off now," he said, sounding rather sad. Tsuna nodded absentmindedly, already counting the minutes before he could go back into the employee room to continue his break. "Do you want to go and grab coffee some time?"

"Oh, I don't think I'm free anytime soon. Sorry about that." Tsuna shot him down immediately. It was true, after all. He was going to be experimenting with a few new recipes and writing a million essays in the next three weeks for an individual project, and he most probably wouldn't have enough time to do anything outside of his schedule. Even taking boxed lunches to Enma would put a strain on his schedule.

"Oh. Okay." Dino's eyes flickered to the floor. Still deep in thought, Tsuna continued speaking.

"If you ask me again in three weeks, I can give you a more positive answer. Probably."

"Really?!" Dino's head jerked back up so fast Tsuna was terrified the poor guy would get whiplash and have to be sent to the student care centre.

"Yeah?" Tsuna answered, voice an octave higher with slight fear. Dino didn't notice, and all but skipped out of the cafe. Tsuna's coworker stared at him.

"Are you doin' this on purpose?" she asked. Tsuna wrinkled his nose, confused.

"Doing what?"

She stared at Tsuna for a little while longer before shrugging and turning back to the counter to clean up. "Well, if it brings paying customers, I don't see why not."

"Why not what?" _Silence_. "Why don't you and the manager _ever_ tell me anything?"

* * *

><p><strong>Author's notes <strong>

ok this is it no alaude or hibari i'm so sorry. i wrote this when i was at my part-time job today. the later conversations (about F1 car {because i was workin next to the road where the race was takin place} and "i like driving" is a literal real conversation i shared with a customer of mine. til this day, i still don't know what the hell they were trying to achieve)

i'm going to sleep now have a good day everyone i love all of you.

for anyone who is worried, well. yes, tsuna's manager and tsuna's coworker will be recurring oc characters. they won't be very important, though, just something there for the story to progress. we probs won't even know their names. (we only know that tsu's coworker is female and that's 'bout it)

**Reviews**

_thanks_ 10/10 - Thank you for your review! I'm glad that you like it! Sorry I can't promise much about updates, though.

_hikaru_ - it actually happened in the manga. i'm pretty much in love with that scene (and the fact that tsuna wanted to be a giant robot when he was younger. expect more allusions to that in the story yo) and who said tsuna was a worthy opponent? (wink face because ffnet doesn't allow emoticons here)

EDIT 13/10: used wrong pronoun for tsu's manager. Fixed it.


	6. Skylarks and Garlic

**A Foreboding Conversation  
><strong>

* * *

><p>In a secluded room in the university, four people sat around a round table, waiting. The doors opened and someone stepped in with grave news.<p>

"I just received news that he's dead."

"Seriously? How'd he get killed?"

"Car accident. Nothing special."

"_Nothing special?!_ Man, it must have been some car accident to kill that resilient idiot off."

"Who was the human in the car, anyway?"

"_I forbid you from going after them_."

"Aw Vice-Principal, you're no fun.

"Do you even care about his death or not?"

"'Course I care! I mean, now there's only eight of us and seven of those stupid things. We've got to be careful."

"I don't think you should count her. She's chronically ill at the moment... Sooner or later, there's only going to be seven of us."

"... God help us."

* * *

><p><strong>Cinderella Story | 1827 (?)<br>**

* * *

><p>"G-get away from him!" Tsuna found this scene rather familiar. Again, it was Enma on the ground, bruised and beaten. However, instead of a group of boys, there was only one male. One terrifying black haired male that made all the self-preservation alarm bells in Tsuna ring loudly. However, it was Enma on the ground and Tsuna needed his precious taste-testing guinea pig, I mean, precious <em>friend<em> alive and unharmed.

The terrifying male did not hear him. Tsuna's frustration outweighed his fear and, without a second thought, he slipped off his right shoe and _attacked_ the guy. Well, maybe 'attacked' was too strong a word for it. Tsuna more or less tackled the guy from behind and whacked him on the head with his right shoe, after which his self-preservation instincts kicked in and he panicked, scurrying off the guy and dragging Enma away before the guy could even get back up on his feet.

The day Hibari Kyoya got brought down by a shoe was a day he would never forget.

* * *

><p>"Did you hear? Hibari is looking for the person whose foot will fit this impossibly small shoe. I mean, what eighteen year old has that shoe size?"<p>

"That person must be incredibly short."

"Oh man, is this Cinderella or something?"

"I think Hibari wants to kill the person more than marry them, though..."

Tsuna resolutely ignored the words of his course mates as he walked through the crowds to his next lecture. Perhaps if he pretended to be ignorant of the situation, he could deny the event out of reality and restore the balance of the world back into one in which he did _not _have a _horrifyingly violent person chasing after him_.

It was really too bad the world didn't work that way.

* * *

><p>"I am looking for Sawada Tsunayoshi."<p>

The entire lecture hall fell silent and immediately, as one entity, everyone turned to look at the petite brunette sitting at the back of the hall. Tsuna wondered if he had time to fall through the very fabric of space and time before Hibari finished ascending, or if he could suddenly summon a demon from the other realm as a distraction. In the end, Tsuna decided that while he will not accept death as his fate, he was _not_ going down without a fight. He had just painstakingly finished a twelve page essay and he wasn't dying until he passed it up to his lecturer.

"Excuse me, you are disturbing the lecture and disrupting the peace of the class. If you need me, you can find me after class hours, can you?" Tsuna said with all the calm and confidence he did not possess, looking at Hibari in the eyes. When orange-brown met grey, Tsuna could swear his entire life flashed before his eyes. Still, he refused to give in. This was an important lecture on Basic Nutrition and Food that he could not afford to miss.

When Hibari refused to budge, Tsuna sighed and stood up. "Have it your way," he muttered under his breath. He probably could do some internet research and ask his lecturer questions if he managed to survive.

Without a word, Hibari turned around and walked down the stairs. Tsuna trailed after him reluctantly. He could practically see all his course mates planning what they were going to say at his funeral.

Tsuna sighed.

* * *

><p>"What is the meaning of this," Hibari demanded flatly. Tsuna was staring blankly at the full colour, high definition video of himself hurling his entire body at Hibari and bashing him over the head with his shoe. Right, of course. There were security cameras <em>everywhere<em>, and with _high quality_ too. Wonderful. There was no way he was going to get out of this. At least Hibari spoke Japanese.

"Y-you were bullying Kozato-kun," Tsuna reasoned. Hibari scoffed.

"I don't stoop to such herbivorous methods. The herbivore was crowding so I bit him to death."

"How was he crowding? He was the only one there!"

_Bam!_ Tsuna's eyes went wide when a tonfa embedded itself in the wall beside his head. Hibari leaned in close to Tsuna's face, grey eyes flashing dangerously.

"Do not question me, little animal," he hissed. Tsuna could feel his breath on his face. Huh, it smelled like _mochi_. Green tea? No wait, this wasn't important at the moment!

"H-hibari-san..." Tsuna murmured. _Hiee! __Too close! _

A contemplate glint flashed in Hibari's eyes and he lowered his gaze to the brunette's neck.

And bit it.

"HIIIEEEE!" In pure reflex, Tsuna's knee jerked up and slammed into Hibari's abdomen. Using this moment of distraction, Tsuna quickly slipped out from underneath Hibari and ran out of the Disciplinary Room.

He never really got his shoe back.

* * *

><p><strong>Doppelgänger | F27<br>**

* * *

><p>Sometimes, Tsuna wondered why he did things. It figured that one of the only brave things he had ever done in his <em>entire life<em> would result in him getting stalked by a violent weirdo that loved using animal metaphors.

"_Come back here, little animal._" The sentence echoed down the empty hallway and Tsuna had to bite back a whimper. Even the slightest sound would give away his position. His eyes quickly flickered from corner to corner, hoping that he could find a place to hide in.

The sound of footsteps became louder and Tsuna wanted to cry. He had stayed in the same place for too long and was, for a lack of better term, going to get _eaten_.

He was ninety-six percent sure that Hibari was a cannibal. Either that, or he was a different species altogether: one that preyed on the tears and fears of human beings.

"_Little animal._" Oh god, the voice was closer now. It was all or nothing.

With speed Tsuna didn't even know he possessed, he shot out from his dark little corner and ran for his life. Almost immediately after, he could hear the telltale sound of accelerating footsteps, signifying that Hibari was now chasing after him. Tsuna quickly spun around the corner and went into the first room he saw, softly shutting the door behind him and leaning against it, making sure to keep out of view of any windows facing the hall. When the sound of footsteps faded, Tsuna sighed in relief and turned to inspect the room he was in.

Apparently, he was in one of the culinary labs in the school. The lights were on, and he could hear the tell-tale sounds of a steamer at work. But who could possibly be in the lab after school hours?

Wide brown eyes met gray ones. Tsuna took in a familiar face and closed his eyes before promptly sinking into a fetal position and sobbing into his hands.

* * *

><p>Fon was extremely distressed. This was the first time someone actually broke down upon seeing his face. What was the problem? Was there something on his face?<p>

Slowly, as if approaching a small, skittish animal, he walked towards the boy and knelt down in front of him. He could barely make out a few words from the whimpers, but after hearing 'Hibari-san', it was enough. Fon let out a sigh. Really, Kyoya should know better than that! He couldn't just scare away all the people he wanted to be friends with just because he was shy! But back to the situation at hand.

"Ah, don't worry, I won't hurt you." Fon put on his best non-threatening smile. "I'm not Kyoya. My name is Fon, and Kyoya's my cousin."

Brown eyes peeked out from the boy's hands as he stared at Fon for a while. Fon waited patiently. He was good at being patient.

Obviously, he didn't expect the boy to suddenly hurl himself at him in a hug, causing the both of them to fall, with Fon on his back and the boy on top of him. A bright red blush covered his face as the boy's warm weight settled on his body.

"Ah! That's a relief! My name is Tsuna! It's nice to meet you!" Tsuna's smile was bright and brilliant, and Fon could feel himself blushing for an entirely different reason, but managed to contain himself. He gave an awkward cough to bring Tsuna's attention back to him.

"It's nice to meet you, Tsuna. While I would wish to talk more, it would be nicer to continue our conversation in a much more comfortable position, no?"

Tsuna stared at Fon blankly for a while before realising their position. Immediately, he scrambled off the older male, face flaming red. "S-sorry! I didn't notice because you were so comfortable. I mean, it was comfortable lying on you- I mean!" Tsuna seemed to give up trying to clear the misunderstanding and decided to bury his face in his hands and let out a muffled shriek. Fon smiled at him. What a cute boy; he could see now why Kyoya had taken a liking to him.

The timer rang and Fon turned to look at his steamer. Oh! It seemed that his _jiaozi_ were ready! Under Tsuna's curious gaze, Fon took out the plate of _jiaozi_ from the steamer and placed it on the table. Immediately, Tsuna's eyes lit up in recognition.

"Oh! These are _gyoza_! I never was very sure how to cook them. I mean, you could boil them, or pan-fry them, or steam them... Ah, do you know the best way to bring out the flavour?" Brown eyes were literally sparkling. Fon found himself at a lost for words, mesmerised by Tsuna's eyes and excitement. He quickly shook himself out of his daze.

"It all depends on the personal taste of the people eating it. If you like it in a certain style, it doesn't mean that other people do too," he replied. Tsuna nodded, absorbing Fon's words.

"I see. What's your preferred method, Fon-san?" he asked, tilting his head to the side. Fon smiled.

"I prefer steaming. Would you like to try it, Tsuna?" he asked, gesturing to the plate on the table. Tsuna seemed to hesitate for a moment but, after seeing Fon's encouraging smile, decided to go for it and tried one.

"Ah! It's really good, Fon-san! Although, personally, I think there's a bit too much-" Suddenly, Tsuna's eyes dulled and he collapsed to the ground. Fon panicked. What happened? Was it the _jiaozi_? He decided to go check it and, immediately, found the answer.

"Oh. It seemed that I used too much garlic again."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's note<strong>

somehow a plot developed (as can be seen in "a foreboding conversation"). i hate myself. by the way, did anyone catch what i was referencing in the third last line of that small section? if it's a no, it's still fine. I wanted it to be subtle, although i have to admit i'm not very good at subtle.

as for hibari. well. it's probably not up to standards, i'm sorry. i was looking at my planning and all it said was "hit by shoe. hibari keeps targeting tsuna." and that was about it

fon's was a bit rushed too. also, fon is an unreliable narrator when it comes to his family members (hibari alaude and i-pin) oh well. fun fact: i eat _jiaozi/gyoza_ pretty often. garlic is stronger in gyoza than in jiaozi. confusing? well, basically, they're essentially the same thing but jiaozi is in chinese while gyoza is in japanese. and you know how different cultures tend to modify food based on their tastes. (i personally prefer boiled jiaozi with prawn in it. i don't like vegetables all that much)

**Reviews**

_Guest 13/10_ - maybe because I've accidentally made Dino come off as a bit too creepy? Haha, thank you for your kind words!

_Paleud_ - thanks! I'll try my best.

_mariaelennaella_ - oh wow your name is such a mouthful! I'm glad you enjoyed reading this story! Thanks for leaving a review!

_hikaru_ - I'm actually thinking of including them, but I'm not too sure yet. Do you want them to come? (Personally, a Reborn without a Leon is really weird) They'll probably add on to the plot, or at least Natsu will.

_Guest 18/10_ - Rinato's a nice name. I think the more logical choice would be Renato, though, considering that it's the Italian form of 'Renatus', which is a late latin name meaning 'born again'. Either that or Reborn was feeling edgy and decided to rename himself for whatever reason. (that reason sounds more interesting, albeit less plausible)


	7. Green Eyes

**The Observation of Gokudera Hayato | 5927(?)**

* * *

><p>Tsuna met Gokudera Hayato outside of the café he worked in. It was a rather strange meeting, and Tsuna would rather not think about it.<p>

You see, Gokudera Hayato was the sort of person who was obsessed with the existence of aliens. Or UMAs, according to his terms. Normally, Tsuna wouldn't care about a person's private life, but Gokudera Hayato's particular hobby was affecting the business of the café, and that was just plain rude.

"So…" Tsuna's coworker started from beside him. Her elbows were on the counter and she was resting her head on her hands. "Who's gonna tell 'im?" Tsuna shot her an exasperated look.

"You do not have any inclination to go, do you?" he asked. His coworker had the nerve to shot him a large, close-eyed grin.

"Nu-uh," she said cheekily. "You're gonna have to tell Mister Stalker over there t' back off. Either that or come in; we can never have too many customers." Tsuna didn't bother acknowledging her statement and just walked around the counter and out of the café. When the silver haired stalker noticed Tsuna walking towards him, his green eyes widened and he dove behind a bush to hide. Tsuna really wanted to know who would be fooled by that. He _saw_ the boy hide in the bush, for goodness sake!

Tsuna stood in front of the bush, wondering how to start talking to the boy. "_What are you doing_," was too vague; "_Why have you been camping outside the café for three days_," was a little too confrontational; and "_What are you trying to achieve with your life, seriously_," a little too… much. So.

"Hello," Tsuna put on his customer smile. "Would you like to come into the café? It can't be very comfortable in there." Tsuna waited patiently for a head of silver hair to stick out of the bush. Green eyes glared at him warily.

"Are you an UMA?" he asked. Tsuna blinked and tilted his head to the side in confusion.

"I'm sorry, but I don't know what an UMA is," he admitted lightly, and was promptly subjected to a ten minute long talk speech about Unidentified Mysterious Animals (UMA for short), a few examples of UMAs and where to find them, and finally, why his manager was an UMA.

Tsuna _knew_ that today was going to be a weird day.

* * *

><p>Tsuna's manager seemed extremely amused as they answered Gokudera's questions. Tsuna, on the other hand, was extremely mortified and suffering from a case of severe second-hand embarrassment. Really, the questions Gokudera were asking were seriously too weird!<p>

"Are you human?" Gokudera demanded. Tsuna's manager gave him a small, enigmatic smile. Really, Tsuna thought that they were having _way_ too much fun.

"I am an earthling, born and bred," they replied. Gokudera seemed content with that answer and moved on to the next question.

"Are you male or female?"

Tsuna's manager rolled their eyes at Gokudera's question. "Does it really matter? I am who I am," they brushed the question aside dismissively. "And besides, it's going to be peak hour soon. I suggest you either buy something, or leave." And with that, they stood up and walked into the back of the café, ignoring all of Gokudera's protests. Tsuna buried his face in his hands and sighed. If he didn't know any better, he would think that his manager was _trying_ to rile Gokudera up.

Oh wait, he _did_ know better, and his manager _was_ trying to rile Gokudera up.

Sometimes, he almost believed the headaches he got from working here were totally not worth the experience he gained.

* * *

><p>Tsuna was getting real tired of Gokudera's shit. Seriously. It was <em>basic common sense<em> that employee spaces were _off-limits_ to people _who were __**not**__ employees_.

So what the hell was that silver haired, UMA-obsessed weirdo doing in the storage room? He was just lucky Tsuna thought that it was too much trouble to call the police and report him for trespassing and attempted theft. And that Tsuna was way too nice for that.

His manager, on the other hand…

Tsuna stepped into the storeroom at the same time Gokudera turned to glance at the door. There was a moment of silence between the both of them before Gokudera jumped back in shock and violently slammed into the shelf behind him. Tsuna watched, with a mounting sense of dread, as the flimsy plastic shelf wobbled and shook precariously and _tipped_–

And Tsuna was moving before he knew it, barreling forward and tackling Gokudera to the ground beside the shelf as all the heavy – Tsuna would know, he tried to carry them. Once. – cardboard boxes toppled over and crashing onto the floor with a reverberating sound not unlike that of a collapsing building. The loud sound echoed throughout the café and, _of course_, attracted the manager to the scene of Tsuna lying sprawled over Gokudera's prone body and surrounded by fallen cardboard boxes. They just stared at the scene for a while, quiet but not because they were at a loss of what to say. And then, to Tsuna's ever increasing mortification, they just directed their gaze of Gokudera and smirked. They just _smirked_, obviously feeding strange subliminal message into Gokudera's head, and _freakin' left_ without clearing anything up.

A bit hesitant and with a small dash of terrified, Tsuna glanced up at Gokudera to see sparkling eyes full of something he vaguely knew to be hero-worship.

"You saved me," Gokudera breathed. "I am forever in your debt."

Tsuna was done. He was _so done_ with _everything_.

* * *

><p><strong>Despair and Hope | 5127<strong>

* * *

><p>Tsuna had never tasted total utter <em>fear<em> – barring any incident that involved Hibari Kyoya – until that very moment. That moment being the printer jamming while it was in the middle of churning out his ten page essay that was going to be due in _fifteen minutes_.

Forget about money, _procrastination_ was the root of all evil.

As it was, Tsuna could basically _see_ his soul leaving his body from a strange third-person point of view at the same time he was staring at the printer with the little flashing red light.

"Um." A voice startled Tsuna out of his despair and he whirled around to see a red haired boy with green eyes and glasses. Huh, he looked familiar.

The boy's green eyes flickered down to the printer, and a strange look filled them. Tsuna recognized it as the look he himself got when faced with a new recipe to experiment with, or the look Gokudera got when he found out more about his 'UMAs'. It was the looked of someone in their element, who knew _exactly_ what to do.

The red haired boy stepped towards the printer and knelt down to inspect it, muttering some weird technobabble that Tsuna could make neither heads nor tails of; and he wasn't even going to try to either. There was a few minutes of the boy fiddling around with the printer and the computer connected to it, working some magic or something, and the printer spewed out the rest of his essay in record time. The boy picked up the stack of papers and handed it to Tsuna with a smile on his face and the brown haired boy couldn't help it.

With a large, _sparkling_, grin – that caused the red haired boy to blush for some reason – Tsuna threw his arms around his savior, praises and declarations of love spilling out of his mouth. The boy turned to stone in his arms, albeit a stone with a very, _very_ red face, but Tsuna didn't care. He was safe! He could hand up his essay!

A glance at the clock told him that his class was about to start in three minutes so, with one last word of gratitude, he let go of the boy and rushed to class.

Really, Tsuna should have known better by now. The effect he had on other people was simply _devastating_.

* * *

><p>About three days later, Irie Shouichi became a regular at the café Tsuna worked at. Although he was a bit intimidated by the amount of people glaring at him due to the special treatment Tsuna gave him, he would never give up the chance to talk to Tsuna.<p>

Tsuna remained blissfully oblivious through it all.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's note<strong>

Who should i write about next? Because I don't know. Just give me your preference, and i will run it through random name picker. Can be someone already mentioned, can be someone you want me to introduce, whatever. (what will happen is: if one person votes for byakuran and two vote for reborn, i will key in byakuran once and reborn twice, making it more likely for reborn to be picked)

Right. I don't hate Gokudera; I quite like him, actually. But he is such a bloody pain to write i cannot understand his thought process at all.

(The manager is kinda important to the story, but just to the plot. I actually just planned to use them to bring in Gokudera, but considering this is _Trinisette_ University)

(I chose the manager's words {earthling} with purpose yo)

**Reviews**

**hikaru** hmm, Tsuna's knight in shining armor? Well, if I had the choice it would be Tsuna himself or Nana. Just kidding (but really it would be rather interesting for Nana to be the Protector of her Tsu-kun's chastity) Hmm, I really don't have an actual preference, but maybe Enma? He's chivalrous enough (and I like him because he's a hopeless child like Tsuna). How about you?


	8. Kisses I

**Omake – French Kiss | 6927**

* * *

><p><strong>Won't happen any time soon<strong>

* * *

><p>It was soft, slimy, wet, and disgusting. It was strange, but warm, and it lit some strange heat at the bottom of Tsuna's stomach. He shifted uncomfortably, hands trapped between his body and Mukuro's, palms flat against the indigo-haired teen's chest in an attempt to push him away.<p>

He couldn't breathe. He was suffocating; drowning in this unfamiliar sensation and he wasn't sure of when he could resurface; if he even wanted to resurface.

Tsuna finally broke away from the kiss, turning his head to the side and breathing heavily. Mukuro didn't miss a beat, trailing light kisses down the column of Tsuna's exposed neck. The strange heat within Tsuna intensified, and the small brunette found himself shivering from the sensory overload.

"M-Mukuro," Tsuna breathed out as he slowly gained control of his cognitive thought. He continued pushing at Mukuro's shoulders, trying to dislodge the older boy's mouth from his neck. He hoped there wouldn't be a mark.

"What is it, _coniglietto_?" Tsuna could feel the hot breath on his neck, and that further solidified his resolve.

Slowly, gently, he placed his hands on either side of Mukuro's face and maneuvered the both of them until they were eye to eye with each other. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes – causing Mukuro to unconsciously mirror him – and jerked his head forward sharply.

* * *

><p>His forehead ached, and he felt kind of dizzy, but at least he managed to escape.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Vampire and Angel Kiss | 1827<strong>

* * *

><p>"Hibari-san!" Tsuna shrieked. The violent black haired teen had pinned the small brunette to the wall again, and Tsuna wanted to cry. He was so <em>terrified<em> that he knew if Hibari let go of him, he'd fall flat on his butt.

"Little animal," Hibari acknowledged tonelessly. Tsuna tried to jerk out of his grasp but Hibari merely needed to tighten his hold and then Tsuna was unable to move. He felt the hot breath of Hibari on his neck and immediately froze up, going rigid in fear. He was going to die, and he hadn't even finished his studies yet! He wanted to do things with his life, like make his mother proud! Or make enough money so that his dad didn't need to work anymore and could spend more time with his mum!

He couldn't die here!

There was a odd flash of blinding orange, followed by the bizarre feeling of something powerful yet non-lethal exploding, and Hibari got thrown to the other side of the hall. Without Hibari holding him, Tsuna slumps to the ground. His right arm was outstretched, and he eyed it curiously. A few things clicked in his head and he paled. _He_ was the one that shoved Hibari to the other side of the room with his hand. How in the world did he do that?

How in the world was he going to get Hibari to leave him alone now?!

Quickly, he turned over to his hands and knees in an attempt to pick himself up before Hibari could recover. Unfortunately, he was too slow and Hibari managed to retrain him once again.

The older teen's body covered Tsuna's smaller one as Hibari's legs pinned Tsuna's own two legs to the ground, and his hands locked around Tsuna's wrist in a firm, almost bruising, grip. Tsuna was back to square one once again. Actually, this wasn't even square one; this was minus square one with how uncomfortable it was considering that Tsuna's upper body was pressed on the ground by Hibari's weight.

He felt something graze his neck and froze up once again, bracing himself for pain. It was the right thing to do since, right after that moment, Hibari sunk his teeth into Tsuna's neck once again, making Tsuna yelp in pain. His shoulders shook as he shuddered in pain, and something wet trailed down his face. What… was it? Was he really crying at a moment like this? This was horrible. Any bully-victim would tell you that crying in front of a bully is one of the biggest mistakes you could make.

Tsuna took a deep breath and held himself perfectly still, trying to calm himself. Perhaps it was the way Tsuna suddenly became still, save for his slightly shaking shoulders, perhaps it was the muffled noises coming from him, but Hibari finally realised that something was wrong. There was a moment of silence in which Hibari tried to process what was going on, and decided to turn Tsuna over. Unable to muster the strength to fight back, Tsuna let the raven haired teen overturn him, arms laying limply on either side of his head and brown eyes shining with unshed tears. Immediately, he closed his eyes and turned his head to the side in a half-hearted attempt to prevent Hibari from seeing him cry. Hibari was quiet above him.

There was a soft, gentle brush against his eye and Tsuna slowly opened them to see Hibari pulling away. The raven haired teen looked painfully uncomfortable and he glared at the ground above the brunette's head.

"H-Hibari-san?" Tsuna whispered. Hibari's glare increased in intensity.

"I. Did not intend to make you cry," he forced out, shifting off of Tsuna. Tsuna slowly sat up and quickly rubbed his tears away.

"Then…"

Hibari shifted, refusing to make eye contact with Tsuna. He was still glaring, but now at some place beside Tsuna's ear. "Kissing. I read that vampire kisses are enjoyable to people. You bite people."

"So…" Tsuna rubbed the area in which he got bitten. Damn, that was sure to leave a mark. "You _don't_ want to kill me?"

"No."

"Ah." All the tension left Tsuna, and he suddenly felt giddy with relief. He smiled up at Hibari. "You don't kiss someone like that Hibari-san! My mother tells me kisses are like this!" And, without much though, Tsuna leaned up and pecked Hibari on the cheek. Hibari became rigid, grey eyes slightly wider than usual, and stared at Tsuna as if he were some really strange, exotic animal. Tsuna, too relieved to actually care about anything other than the fact that he was _alive_ and _well_, got to his feet and shot Hibari another smile.

"I have to go for class now! Let's talk later, Hibari-san!"

Notably, Tsuna was too oblivious to even wonder about why Hibari wanted to kiss him.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's note<br>**

Congratulations Hibari and Mukuro for winning the writing lottery. Do not worry, I will get to writing all the characters suggested soon. I was listening to Sakura Addiction (for the first time) as I was writing this, and the song was so weird. Seriously. I mean, the lyrics don't match up with the singers.

Awkward Hibari with super low EQ is still the best Hibari. Inspiration for this chapter came from Hweianime! Thank you for prompting me into thinking about Tsuna's reaction to kisses from people! And many other things in which I will give credit to you if I manage to write them…

If anyone has a certain scene in which they would like to see, please do tell me. In fact if anyone wants to discuss any khr thing with me (like to remind me that daemon is, indeed, an asshole of great proportions), I'd be happy to do so.

If you're asking if Tsuna has flames. Well. He's basically just like everybody else

* * *

><p><strong>Info about the kisses <strong>

_french kiss_ - pretty sure people already know that

_vampire kiss_ - on neck with light biting and sucking (for some reason)

_angel kiss_ - on eyelid or nearby

(I am on the journey to write the world's most awkward and uncomfortable disgusting kiss. as you can tell, i do not find the act of kissing appealing)

* * *

><p><strong>Reviews<strong>

_Guest 11/11_ - Nah, the manager isn't Kawahira. But they have a connection to him...

_hikaru_ - I guess Reborn's fine. I like him as much as the next person but he's not my favourite ahaha. Hmm, you probably can't find a man like that in real life and even if he does exist, I doubt he'll be a good partner. But to each their own; Reborn's not my ideal partner, but maybe he has something you want! I can see why he's appealing.


	9. Marshmallow Menu

**Warning: ** A bit OOC here, but byakuran's going to go back to normal soon.

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><p><strong>Memories Worlds Away | 10027 (?)<strong>

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><p><em>Blood on the ground, in his clothes, on his hands. The warm, sticky liquid dripped down as he lifted his hand to cup the face in front of him in a mockery of a lover's touch. <em>

_Brown eyes slowly lost their light as their owner stared at Byakuran with not hatred, not fury, but sadness and pity. _

_It made him furious. _

_Byakuran stabbed Sawada Tsunayoshi once again, mouth twisting into a snarl to ask–_

Purple eyes snapped open, and a scowl immediately made its way onto Byakuran's face. The disturbing dreams had visited him once again. With an irritated sigh, the white haired teen forced himself out of bed. He couldn't afford to miss another class unless he wanted to fail the course his parents had so lovingly chosen for him. Of course, he could always try to do better in class. With all this knowledge in his head, he could, quite literally, ace any course he wanted. But he didn't.

Seriously, what was the point? Everything was just so… meaningless. He didn't have a purpose in this strange, flame-less world.

He felt so empty.

_(He wanted to see those brown, brown eyes once again, even if they were narrowed in hatred and scorn. He just wanted those eyes on him because they made him feel like he mattered, made him feel _alive–)

Byakuran closed his eyes and tried to shove the thoughts to the back of his mind. He didn't bother trying to get them entirely out of his head. It wouldn't work.

He knew that from experience.

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><p>Byakuran walked through the campus, trying his best to keep to himself. He didn't want to look at other people, he didn't want to see them, he didn't want to see <em>those images<em>–

A tall male with spiky black hair and brown eyes walked past, a baseball bat strapped to his back and a wide smile on his face.

_(Yamamoto Takeshi lay on the ground, sword broken and brown eyes blank. He was the best swordsman in the world, but he was no match for Genkishi, not without a box wea–)_

Byakuran increased his walking pace. He needed to get some marshmallows from the campus supermarket. It was disgusting that he liked marshmallows as much as the other… as much as the man in the images did, but he couldn't deny that marshmallows helped push back the images. Sometimes he wondered if he really liked marshmallows, or if his like for the sugary treat was a characteristic of the man that was bleeding into him.

He wondered how much of him was still the Byakuran that belonged to this world, if there was anything left at all.

* * *

><p>Tsuna was having an absolutely <em>exhausting<em> day. Firstly, he must have forgotten to set the alarm clock the night before because it didn't ring in the morning. When Tsuna woke up, it was already eleven o' clock in the morning. He had missed his first tutorial of the day, and was going to be late for his lecture.

Secondly, Gokudera Hayato ambushed him on the way to the lecture hall for some reason or another, causing him to be _even later_. He basically missed three-quarters of the lecture, and the lecturer reprimanded him in front of the entire cohort. The entire experience was horribly embarrassing.

Thirdly, work was extremely exhausting. Even more exhausting than usual. Gokudera had been there with his excessive stalking of the manager (seriously, Tsuna was beginning to form a theory that Gokudera had a crush on them or something. He didn't really like that theory) and it appeared that the strange blonde lookalike of his managed to find out where he worked, because Tsuna swore that he saw him lurking around the shop. After being suddenly kissed by the blonde, he couldn't really say that he wanted to meet him again anytime soon. Therefore, he decided to take the back exit out. This led him to encounter his manager, who _politely requested_ him to try out a recipe concerning marshmallows. When he asked why, they only muttered something cryptic about dandelions and marshmallows but didn't elaborate.

Hence, Tsuna was now at the campus supermarket shopping for ingredients for strawberry s'mores tarts. It involved strawberries, marshmallows, and dark chocolate, so it should fit his manager's criteria, right?

Tsuna sped up when he saw that there was only one bag of marshmallows left on the shelf. He reached for it around the same time a white haired boy did, causing Tsuna to want to scream in frustration. He did not have time to have a petty fight over a bag of marshmallows! Whoever this white haired dude was, he would just have to _deal_ because the marshmallows were _his_.

"Hands off the bag," Tsuna hissed. The white haired boy glared at him with purple eyes.

"I saw it first, you fluffy twig midget," he shot back. Tsuna saw red.

"No you don't understand, you creepy dandelion! I _desperately need_ to try out this new recipe!" Tsuna shrieked. '_And I am not a midget, you overgrown titan!_' he added in his head.

* * *

><p>"No you don't understand you creepy dandelion! I <em>desperately need<em> to try out this new recipe!" the boy yelled back and Byakuran paused for a second to actually _look_ at him.

Brown hair, petite stature, wide brown eyes filled with a slightly crazed look in them, and Byakuran could almost, _almost_, swear that they flashed orange for a fraction of a second.

_(Orange bled into brown as a vibrant flame ignited on his forehead. "Byakuran," the boy spoke. "I will not forgive you.")_

Byakuran recognized the boy. He'd recognize Sawada Tsunayoshi anywhere.

His grip on the bag loosened and Tsunayoshi managed to rip it out of his grasp with a triumphant yell, shoving it into his shopping basket. He turned back to Byakuran, about to say something, when he suddenly paused. He must have seen something in Byakuran's face because concern overtook Tsunayoshi's features and he stepped towards Byakuran.

"Um, are you alright?" he asked hesitantly. "Did you really want the marshmallows that much?"

Byakuran snapped out of his daze and shoved his hands into his pockets, scowling. "No," he replied brusquely. He didn't need pity from this person, this ghost from the images in his head. In fact, he didn't need to be anywhere around him at all. The new shipment of marshmallows would be coming tomorrow anyway. Byakuran could wait another day. He turned to leave but found himself unable to take another step for Tsunayoshi had wrapped his fingers around Byakuran's wrist in a surprisingly firm grip.

"Hey, I need someone to sample my cooking. You're going to be that person," Tsunayoshi requested – no, he _demanded_ – with a strange look in his eyes. And did his eyes flash orange? It must be Byakuran's mind playing tricks on him. Flames didn't exist in this world, after all.

Without any input from Byakuran, Tsunayoshi started dragging the white haired boy into the dorm room, shoving Byakuran in one of the chairs and moving to the kitchen to make whatever thing he wanted Byakuran to sample. Byakuran couldn't help but feel a little intimidated by the situation. Was Tsunayoshi always this way? No, perhaps it was only in this world. It was a little ironic, seeing the little brunet shine so much, hold himself _so confidently_, even though he didn't have the defining factor that made him who he was: his beautifully pure sky flames. Byakuran, on the other hand–

Wait, what was Tsunayoshi doing with a _blow torch_?!

* * *

><p>Tsuna – who had insisted that Byakuran call him by that nickname – was actually really good company. The food he made, strawberry s'mores tarts, Tsuna said, was also rather delicious. As Byakuran ate the food, they began to become comfortable in each other's presence.<p>

To Byakuran's horror, the urge to tease Tsuna rose up in him. He wanted to see Tsuna flush red in anger and embarrassment, his brown eyes fill with unshed tears, his… his…

_(His pure white dress shirt stain with the crimson liquid of his–)_

_NO._ Byakuran gritted his teeth. He refused. He absolutely refused to be like _him_.

"Byakuran?" Tsuna's voice broke through the haze of thought and brought Byakuran back to earth. For the first time since he was seven, the intrusive, invasive thoughts completely left his head. Instead, Byakuran's every thought was focused on the brunette in front of him.

_Obsession_, something whispered in his mind. He didn't hear it.

"I'm not insane!" The words were out of his mouth before he knew it.

_I'm not insane!" eight year old Byakuran insisted. The psychiatrist smiled at him indulgingly, clearly not taking his words seriously. Byakuran turned desperately to his parents but they didn't look at him. _

"_Can you fix him?" At those words, Byakuran wanted to vomit. He wasn't crazy. He didn't need any fixing. Why couldn't anyone see that? _

"I never said you were," Tsuna replied him. His tone gave nothing away. "Regardless, is the food nice?" A moment passed as Byakuran processed Tsuna's question, a bit off-kilter from the sudden change in topic. He then nodded slowly and Tsuna beamed.

"Awesome. You're welcome to come over any time to eat my stuff, then!" Tsuna picked up the plate and made to move back into the kitchen. Byakuran's hand immediately shot out to catch the brunette's wrist.

"Why?" he asked. Tsuna blinked, and then he smiled.

"You seemed lonely," Tsuna replied simply. Byakuran's grip slackened and Tsuna took this chance to put the plate in the sink.

"Are you staying for dinner?" Tsuna asked. Byakuran made a sound of agreement, still a bit dazed.

The thoughts and images stayed away and, for the first time since the incident that happened when he was seven, Byakuran began to remember the person he was before everything went to hell.

* * *

><p><strong>Accident<strong>

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><p><strong>Byakuran, 7 years old<strong>

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><p>"Damn it!" a voice snarled. Byakuran was distracted from his book just as something strange dropped onto the floor beside him, landing with a loud 'clack'. The little white haired boy had decided to move to the emergency staircase to sit and read his book in silence while his parents were in their meeting.<p>

"Oh man, you've done it now," an amused voice spoke. "Can't believe that you dropped Sepira's stone-thing just like that."

Stone-thing? It must be the item that had landed beside Byakuran.

Its appearance was similar to that of a jack in the game knucklebones, but with rounder ends. It was a strange object. Ever the curious child, Byakuran reached out to pick it up and–

A searing pain shot through his head and Byakuran immediately withdrew his hand away from the object. The shape of the item didn't look as strange anymore, though, and had a hint of familiarity to it.

_Giglio Nero, White Spell, Black Spell, Millefiore, Yuni, Mare Rings._

Byakuran clutched his head and grit his teeth. He was barely aware of a presence diagonally behind him as they bended down to pick up the item.

"Here's the stone-thing," Byakuran heard them say. It was the voice of the second person. The first person sighed.

"It's been, what, a few thousand years now and you still call them stone-things? When are you going to–" He seemed to have caught notice of Byakuran. "Damn, the kid touched it, didn't he?"

"What was your first clue?"

The second person crouched down next to Byakuran, but Byakuran didn't bother with them. He had a splitting headache, and was unable to focusing on anything but staying awake. A moment passed before the person made a noise of annoyance. "Help the dandelion human, fo…" Byakuran faded out for a bit. "… sake."

The first person growled lowly. "Why should I bother with a human? Seriously," he snorted derisively. Byakuran felt the atmosphere turn cold.

"Because it's what Sepira would do," the second person said quietly. Another moment passed. Byakuran suddenly felt a hand on his head and saw a strange indigo light from his peripheral vision. He tried to turn around to see what it was, to see who these people were, but the second person had a strong grip and Byakuran couldn't move. The hand soon left Byakuran's head and the first person sighed.

"You really have a soft spot for these humans, don't you?" Byakuran's headache was gone by now, but he found himself drifting off into unconsciousness. He fought to stay awake, wanting to listen to the strange conversation between the two people.

"Haha, no. I just find them funny."

"Honestly … already wanting to start a … is already bad enough. _Must_ you adopt that human girl as well?"

"Hey. She makes a good cup of coffee and since Kawahi… creepy Wonomichi kid, why can't I have her? At least she doesn't go hohoho and hehehe for no reason. And besides…"

Byakuran closed his eyes as the world around him faded away.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's note<strong>

ayyyyyy you probably can make some connections because of this chapter. It's kind of plottish. We'll go back to beautiful crack things next chapter, probably. There's some foreshadowing about a person here too (coughgiottocough)

And to clear up: gokudera doesn't have a crush on the manager. It's obvious, but just in case. (he likes tsuna obv)

**Special thanks to**

_HikariNoTenshi-San_ for giving me the idea of a grumpy Byakuran with other Byakuran memories! Thank you, this chapter would never exist without your amazing help!

_Hweianime_ for always putting up with me and my weird ideas and helping me refine them into gems!

(_Sawda Tsunayoshi_ for existing for all of us coughtototurecough)

**Reviews**

_hikaru_ He must pay special attention to his sideburns then. Makes sure he curls one hair. Just one strand. And if someone were to propose to Tsuna? I have no idea, actually! I can't really see him with just one person. (If anyone will actually work up the courage to propose to Tsuna, it'd be Haru first. Just sayin). Maybe Giotto? And Tsuna would be so confused because Giotto would be stuttering so much and then babbling in Italian which he wouldn't understand. And then Tsuna would think that this was just one of the many trinkets Giotto gets for him and just takes it? Haha.

I'll try to reply to the other reviews, but it'll take some time. I have exams literally around the corner (coming Monday) and I'm gonna die.


	10. Those in the Cafe

_Maturation refers to the unfolding of one's genetic blueprint. _

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><p><strong>Real Name | R27 (?)<strong>

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><p>Sometimes Reborn sat uncomfortably close to him, brushing against him with every movement he made and flooding Tsuna's olfactory sense with the scent of coffee, gunpowder, and a scent that probably belonged to Reborn alone. It was a nice scent, Tsuna had to admit. For some reason, he associated it with safety and protection. He remembered reading somewhere that some people smelled better than others because of genetic compatibility or something. Did that mean that Reborn and he were genetically compatible? That was a strange thought.<p>

"Hey Reborn," he said one day out of the blue. "Do you think I smell nice?"

Reborn stared at him strangely and Tsuna realised that what he said was really weird if taken out of context. And to Reborn, it _was_ out of context. Hurriedly, he tried to explain himself.

"I'm asking because you smell nice to me, and I wanted to see if it's the same the other way around." That wasn't much better. "I'm curious because of some science thing I read online about genes and something called MHC typing," he added. This made Reborn's strange look ease up a bit, and amusement coloured the black haired man's features.

"I don't know, I've never really thought about it," he purred, shifting closer to Tsuna. Seeing the look in Reborn's eyes, Tsuna had the split-second revelation that he had made a big mistake.

Reborn's arms encircled him and he leaned down to bury his face in Tsuna's hair, inhaling deeply. Tsuna's eyes flickered about for an escape route, and his gaze landed on the table. His eyes widened.

"Well, Tsuna, you—"

"Holy shit!" Tsuna yelled, startling Reborn into letting go of him. Tsuna was pointing to a piece of paper on the table and Reborn turned to look at it. It was one of his tutorial worksheets. He didn't understand what had provoked Tsuna into such a large reaction.

"Renato Sinclair! I _knew_ it, Reborn wasn't your given name!"

"…"

"…"

Reborn pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to stave off his headache. Tsuna blinked innocently.

"What?"

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><p><strong>Knight in Shining Armor | OC27 <strong>(probably)

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><p>Tsuna was an odd child, but the best co-worker she could ever ask for. Despite what anyone may think, she really did like him, maybe even love him. It was impossible not to. Tsuna just had that sort of effect on everyone, whether they wanted to be charmed or not. She should probably come up with a name for that effect. The Tsuna Effect? Nah, that's a bit too blatant. The fluffy cutie wouldn't be pleased with it. Maybe the Ventisette Effect? Yeah, that sounded nicer; it also gelled well enough with the name of the university – Trinisette – for anyone to be too suspicious.<p>

She remembered the first and only time Tsuna had asked for her name. He wanted to know what he should call her. She didn't really know what to tell him; how was she supposed to explain her situation to him? That after getting taken in by the manager and leaving behind her old life, her old name, she hadn't even managed to find a new identity for herself?

No one but the manager, and now Tsuna, had ever asked for her name before.

When she didn't answer, _couldn't_ answer, Tsuna didn't push her. He only gave a small smile and quoted something he read online to ease the tension.

'_A name is a lie that keeps you from thinking that you can be more than one person._'

It was probably at that point that she fell for him. Of course, she wasn't going to pursue it. Tsuna already had so much on his plate, and she didn't think that she was ready to pursue an actual relationship with other people yet, so she let it lie.

It didn't mean that she didn't find the sight of people trying – and failing _miserably_ – to get Tsuna's favour extremely amusing. It also didn't mean that she wouldn't subtly encourage them; because this sort of thing was somehow helping the café, after all.

Of course, there were some points where she had to draw the line.

"C'mon, don't be like that!" a customer leaned closer to Tsuna, basically cornering him. Tsuna's face was a strange mix of annoyance and discomfort, with a small dash of murder. She could basically see Tsuna's various suitors getting out of their seats, about to… _neutralise_ this threat to Tsuna, but she didn't want to give them the chance to earn brownie points; not with such a cliché scene.

Donning the scariest smile she knew, she tapped the rowdy customer on the shoulder. When there wasn't any reaction, she grabbed him by the back of his collar and dragged him away from Tsuna, lifting him off the ground with ease. Everyone stared at her. Well, she supposed the sight was weird; young woman who looked like she had never seen a day of exercise in her life lifting up a burly, muscled man as if it were nothing. Damn, when put that way, she wanted to see the scene too. But back to the topic at hand.

"Harassment of customers is very much prohibited, good sir!" she said with poisonous sweetness. The man paled from fear. Or maybe it was because the collar of his shirt was digging into his neck and severely restricting blood and air supply. Oh dear, that wouldn't do. Still smiling, she carelessly dropped the rowdy customer onto the ground. Once his feet touched the ground, he quickly took a few steps back. They stared at each other for a moment before he hurriedly exited the shop. Oh dear, one less customer. Ah, they didn't need someone who would harass the fluffy cutie anyway.

"U-um," Tsuna said from behind her. She turned around to stare at him curiously, but also a little worried. What if he was scared of her after that display?

"What is it, Tsuna?"

"Thank you for saving me! I really appreciate it!" Tsuna yelled out, blushing. She stared at him, and a smile slowly grew on her lips. Ahh, Tsuna was really too cute.

"'S no problem," she replied, patting Tsuna on the head. An idea flashed through her mind and she gave a wicked smirk. Keeping an eye on Tsuna's suitors, she slowly bent down to kiss him on the forehead. Oh yes, so much anger and jealously all about. Very amusing. The weird one in the black fedora was gritting his teeth. The silver haired stalker looked seconds away from marching over and taking her head off. Even the two shy red headed ones looked a little annoyed.

When she pulled away, Tsuna was incredibly red and incoherent. Ah, she had overdone it. Oh well.

She heard the sound of a camera and turned to see that the manager had taken a photo of Tsuna's blushing face, no doubt to post on their café's Instagram later. The manager nodded at her and she smiled back.

* * *

><p>"Hey Tsuna!" she called out after their shifts had ended. Tsuna turned to regard her curiously.<p>

"Yes, co-worker-san?" he asked.

"There's this really cool restaurant a little distance away from the university. I kinda wanna go there, but it's a lil' weird to go alone. So, wanna go with me?"

"Sure!" Tsuna was so, so trusting. She just wanted to ruffle his hair.

"Alright! Can we meet tomorrow at six, by the main gates? Or do you still have classes then?" she asked, well aware that she had a shift during that time.

"No, tomorrow at six is fine. See you!" With that, he was off. She smirked.

It was time for her favourite deadpan snarker customer to meet the cutest fluffy thing alive.

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><p><em>Ventisette<em> means twenty-seven in Italian, by the way. I know, I'm so original.

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><p><strong>Blind Date | 2627<strong> (Fran's handle _is_ 26 right?)

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><p>Tsuna reached the main gates five minutes before six and looked around. He couldn't see his elusive co-worker anywhere, but that was kind of expected. She was the type to arrive <em>exactly<em> on time, right down to the last second. It was a bit unnerving, to be honest.

As the minute hand of his watched reached six, someone tapped on his shoulder. He turned around, expecting to see his co-worker, but green haired boy in a strange hat entered his line of sight. Tsuna stared at the hat for a while. Was that… an apple?

…

Alright whatever. Other people had their freedom to wear whatever they want.

"Are you 'the cutest fluffy thing alive'?" the boy asked in a deadpan. Tsuna twitched.

"Well, it depends on who's asking," he replied. "Did my co-worker send you here?"

"If by co-worker, you mean the crazy coffee lady, then yes, she did. She told me to tell you that something had come up and I would be taking her place instead."

"…" In hindsight, Tsuna should have expected this. "Alright then. My name is Tsunayoshi Sawada, but you can call me Tsuna. It's nice to meet you…?"

"My name is Fran. It's nice to meet you too, Fluffy-san."

Tsuna twitched again.

* * *

><p>Despite Tsuna's hesitation about the entire situation, Fran was actually very good company. He was really funny, especially with his deadpan snarky humour, and the way he… <em>commented<em> on everyone.

Tsuna knew that he was a bad person for laughing so much.

"I'm not joking, Fluffy-san! You really need to be careful around the perverted pineapple senpai!"

"Ah, this Gokudera sounds like a stalker. An UMA obsessed stalker. You should consider filing a restraining order, you know."

"Ah yes, I know Hibari Kyoya. Perverted pineapple senpai likes to mess around with him, after all. Hibari's like a caveman who hasn't fully evolved. You need to stay away from him, Fluffy-san. What if you catch his awkwardness?"

"This 'Dino' is a bit… Fluffy-san, about that restraining order…"

_How_ does he say all of that with a straight face? Tsuna was already dying of laughter, leaning against Fran as the green haired boy continued his monotone observations.

"Ah, Fluffy-san, do you think this Reborn specifically curls his own sideburns every morning or…?"

That was too much. Tsuna fell into Fran's lap, tears in his eyes and shaking from too much laughter.

* * *

><p>Fran and Tsuna walked side by side back to the gates in a comfortable silence.<p>

"I had a good time today with you, Fran," Tsuna commented, smiling gently. Fran nodded in agreement, expression unchanging.

"I had a good time with you too, Fluffy-san. It's a pity that I couldn't meet you earlier."

"Ah!" Tsuna pulled out his phone. "Would you like to exchange phone numbers?" His smile was sparkly and basically emitting flowers. Fran smiled back a little.

"Sure."

* * *

><p>Two days later, Fran entered the café during Tsuna's shift. The brunet happily greeted his friend as Fran walked to the counter.<p>

"Hello Fran, what can I get you today?" he asked. Fran pulled out a piece of paper and placed it on the counter. Tsuna blinked and looked at it.

It was a form for a restraining order.

Tsuna had to place his hands on the counter to prevent himself from collapsing from laughter.

* * *

><p><strong>Sky's Second Meeting | G27<strong>

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><p>When a man with blond hair and orange eyes stepped into the café, Tsuna immediately turned around and walked into the employee room. Whatever it was, his co-worker could do it.<p>

His manager was sitting at the table of the employee room and glanced up at Tsuna when he walked in. They stared at Tsuna for a while before placing their coffee on the table and walking out of the employee room. A few seconds later, they re-entered the room and sat in front of Tsuna.

"You need to face your fears," they said seriously. Tsuna shook his head and they frowned contemplatively.

"What are you doing, Tsuna? Why do you run? Face forward, cast off your fear, and you will grow," they told him solemnly. There was a moment of silence before Tsuna nodded, scared but determined, and walked out of the employee room. The manager was right; he shouldn't run away from his fears instead of facing them head on.

Inside the employee room, the manager took a sip of their coffee and gave a contented sigh. "I knew memorising inspirational anime speeches would eventually pay off," they mused to themselves. "Hopefully we can get another regular."

* * *

><p>There was a red haired man with a strange tattoo on his face standing beside the blond one. Both of them had just finished ordering their drinks and Tsuna's co-worker was about to go make them. Tsuna bravely stepped forth and offered to make the drinks. Giving him an amused smile, his co-worker waved him towards the two customers. Taking a deep breath, Tsuna slowly turned around to face the two customers. The blond haired man was gaping and the red haired man looked terribly amused. Tsuna almost ran away again but he caught sight of Fran, who was sitting at the corner of the café enjoying his mocha, enthusiastically waving the restraining order form in his hand, and smiled slightly. With new found confidence, he looked back at the two customers and forced out a smile.<p>

"Hello, my name is Tsuna. I didn't quite catch your name before…?" Tsuna tilted his head to the side. The blond blushed and looked away, prompting the red head to roll his eyes.

"I'm G. and this idiot here is Giotto. You must be the poor guy he violated." Tsuna nodded, blushing slightly. Must he put it that way?

"Yeah, kind of," Tsuna said noncommittally. "Is he alright? I reacted rather violently back then." 'Rather violently' was an understatement. Tsuna had basically kneed the blond in the groin and uppercutted him before running away in mortification.

G. snickered at his question and elbowed Giotto. Giotto quickly shook his head and looked back at Tsuna. "Yes, I am alright. I apologise for my misconduct the other day, it was inappropriate of me," he said with utmost formality. Tsuna nodded, accepting the apology. He wasn't going to talk about the days Giotto spent standing near the doors of the café and just staring at him. As far as he was concerned, such a thing did not happen.

Tsuna's co-worker came back with the drinks and set them on the table. They took it with a 'thanks' and G. slowly herded Giotto towards the door. The blond seemed reluctant to leave, and kept turning back to steal glances at Tsuna until G. whacked him on the head. Once they were out of sight, Fran slowly made his way to the counter and set the restraining order on in front of Tsuna once again. Tsuna stared at it for a long while, contemplative, before he sighed and shook his head. There wasn't any actual reason to file an order.

Yet.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's note<strong>

Yo, who should I introduce next chapter.

DID ANYONE KNOW THAT REBORN'S NAME IS RENATO SINCLAIR?! AM I ONE OF THE ONLY FEW PEOPLE WHO DIDN'T KNOW?

Amano Akira-sensei revealed it. It is canon.

I've realised that this is also somewhat of a coffee shop/barista au. Huh.

The co-worker and manager won't play much of a big role in the later chapters, I promise. So you don't have any reason to worry.

Many thanks to Hweianime, without whom, I wouldn't even be writing Repercussions of a Wish anymore.

Thanks to Alicia Testarossa too, for giving me the idea of having someone witness the 'Tsuna Effect' from a third person POV.

'_A name is a lie that keeps you from thinking that you can be more than one person._' is from Night Vale's twitter

**Reviews**

_guest 5/11_ Nope, the adopted human girl isn't the manager! Good guess, though!

_hikaru_ No, actually, I can't. Aren't curling irons super hot? Won't he get burnt? And Giotto, charming? I doubt so. To quote G. from the inheritance arc (which I just watched) "I got dragged into many weird things because of you." I think it tells a lot about Giotto's character. (Personally I think he's the type that leads everyone around him into thinking that he's cool but he is _not_)

_Blaze_ Thank you! About my Harry Potter one… I actually haven't touched it since two-three years ago, and I've changed very much since then, so I'm not too sure how to write it anymore. I'll see what I can do, though!


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